Few questions for possible move

Good day to All,


I have read many of the threads and have a few more question that would greatly help me.


How is life for the non working wifes/girlfriends? And for a girl friend how long can they stay before having to return to thier home country.


How difficult/expensive is it to import dogs?


What type of living allowance can I expect for a 50,000 HK a month postion?


Is it worth importing a car?


Is it best to go with what I've seen for Serviced apartments or funish one myself? I do intend to stay at least 2 years.


Any advice on local culture or anything for my interviews please let me know?


Ashton

A few things..I am a Westerner and I don't know everything, but here is a bit about what I know about local people. Some of it might not be accurate for everyone but this is my 2 cents..Local people try hard and do NOT want to lose face by having you speak harshly to them in public, so you want to say that you're considerate of that. chinese are very superstitious so it's good to respect and not laugh at them as they tell you a certain day is not good for doing something or they'll ask you to decorate your office a certain way. Feng SHui consultants make a lot of money here advising people about how to decorate their offices. At parties, people love kareoke. they think you're their peer/friend if you do it whether you can sing or not. they go nuts for party games at company events. westerners just want to chat, but they dress up, and really plan things out. I think they like goofy things because they're not as good at the small talk as westerners are. if you have themed parties, people don't have to think so much. People don't seem to socialize like we do. I don't know if it's painful or not,b ut it's harder toget locals to go out and they'll never invite you for dinner. you have to go to restaurants. don't know if it's due to space or not. At company events, spouses don't want to go and I'm told that you can tell which couples really love each other because (backwards to us) they don't have to talk. If they know each other well, they can have meals without having to do the boring small talk. If we like someone we talk more and don't have to labour through it. I think Asians find our emotional needs foolish. I have a Japanese friend who finds her Australian husband babyish because he'd like a compliment once in awhile and she won't give them to him. I've read that 60% of people here have NEVER told anyone including a spouse or child that they love them. People often speak harshly to children telling them they're not good, their brother/cousin, etc is better. HK has the lowest birth rate in the developed world at .8%. The orpanages have local orphans in them. The kids have relatives who won't take them because of lack of space or just an unwillingness to put up with a kid. The local women like or loveee western men and many of us wives find it annoying to know that our husbands get hit on. The western men like the flattery and attention. you often see unattractive western men with local ladies. some say the draw is something new. some say they want money and some say the western men are more generous in their assessment of the looks of the ladies. western women generally do NOT want local men and the local men do no want us. The men here want and expect to be masters of their homes. local ladies seem to allow this in general. western women want families and equal relationships which apparently are less likely with Chinese men. Western women don't want to be cheated on either and apparently men and women here used to accept having mistresses but the younger crowd is less accepting of it. Many HK men have a HK wife and one in bordering China. People are practical. If neither wife gets more children or a larger apt. they don't always care. Filipino maids often ask Westerners if they'll get paid extra for sleeping with or servicing our husbands.Um, where do they get that from? I imagine some Chinese women would find this helpful? I don't know but why else would they think it's normal. I know this happens with some Chinese families.I've also heard some local men visit prostitutes as often as they change a roll of toilet paper. Wan Chai has lots of strip joints, hookers, etc. The women here who let their men go out a lot are nuts. There would be a lot of temptation from local men who think it's normal or western men who find it cheap and easy.


The non-working wives like me can join the American Women's Assoc. whether you are Amer. or not. Only 40% of members are Amer.THere is a lot to do. Check out the website. Charities, socializing, etc. I know it's expensive to import dogs and cars, but i don't know the details. your embassy might be able to help.

Re: Politics...the Chinese gov't say HK is free, but there's less belief that that's true. Local people can't even vote!! Only a select elite group vote, but they do have some provisions for the poor. however, there is no real minimum wage and some McDonald's workers get $12HK per hour or $1.50 US roughly. it's deplorable as things can be expensive here, so many live on noodles and rice. the maids are supposed to get paid about $3,200 per month HK, but many locals abuse it. they pay them less, work them to the bone and I've heard of some getting paid $2,400. westerners often pay $4-5,ooo/month and we ask less of them, treat them better, give them more time off, etc. so the maids all want to work for a western family. However, if the maid's worked for a local familiy and you have children, yikes.! the maids will make themselves subservient to the children, saying the children are their bosses and this results in very spoiled kids. westerners believe the adults make the rules, etc. there are 200,000 Filipino maids in HK. Many western families have maids or helpers as they are often called. sorry have to run. Hope some of this has been helpful.

PS...Westerners also don't want to have the in-laws living with them and it's exhausting to keep up with all of the local superstitions. Some people don't get married for a year because the date isn't good. Most pregnant women schedule a csection for the day their astrologer tells them is good and they don't want to go through that lowly practice of giving birth. oh dear.

HK is a good place to live. People are nice enough, but the pollution is bad and initially you will often feel sick when you're not

I'm getting quotes at the moment to import my Cocker Spaniel from Australia. I am looking at a company to pick him up in OZ, do all the vet checks / paper work for customs and then deliver him to my door in HK. They have quoted around $1,400 AUD - not sure which country you are coming from.


From what I have read, depending on what country your dog is coming from, its a pretty straight forward process into HK without quarantine. However getting your dog back into your own country when you return can be hard. For Australia it is 1 month quarantine.


I've only just arrived, so can't comment much on the other queries. Good Luck.

Hi there,

Your girlfriend is able to work here, she will have to find company willing to employ her.

You can call Ferndale Kennels here they can give you a price quote on bringing your dog into HK, no quarantine here, just all vaccinations have to be up to date, Ferndale will advise you.

Apartments here are very expensive, again it goes to location, central/soho areas run around 18,000 to 30,000HK$ per month, for around 600-800 square foot. Service places, can run as high as HK25,000 usually one bed, or studio type, usually fully furnished, check out the rental market on this website. Secondhand cars are cheaper here, however you have to consider costs of running one, taxes ect. Public Transport is excellent, with MTR, ( subway) and buses /trains ect.

You may want to ask your prospective employer for a housing allowance, which would help you offset livingn costs. HK is expensive, you can eat cheaply, or expensive, depends on your wallet. Its easy place to live, your working conditions would depend on if your company is Chinese or Western. Again, difficult to explain, the ''face'' attitude here, without sounding racist, its something you will have to learn.

Good luck

Thank you all so much, all the info is of great help.



A

While I am sure her intentions are good, I think you really need to discount/disregard 90% of what notmeok has said. In this instance, a little knowledge is worse than no knowledge and also very dangerous.


You really need to spend more time doing your research now, because there was so much fiction and urban legend embellishment in her post, but I guess it helps to have something to fall back on when a local jumps in front of you in the queue or your boyfriend returns home a late night and has nothing to say.

Just a clarification regarding your girlfriend working. She will only be able to work if she can find an employer willing to apply for a work visa on her behalf. This will only be if the job is one for which there are no suitable local candidates. So basically she would either need to have some fairly specialised skills or be an English teacher.

If she can't get a work visa, the amount of time she can stay will depend on what country she is from. For many countries a visitors visa will be for 3 months. A lot of people just pop out to Macau after 3 months and renew their visa this way, but there is always the risk that Immigration will notice if you do this too many times.

If you were married she could get a dependents visa which would allow her to work without needing a work visa.

It is true that there are hardly any rules protecting prospective employees in Hong Kong (just as there are hardly any rules preventing the rich from getting richer and the poor from literally living in metal cages). Questions relating to age, citizenship and marital status that are illegal in Europe and North America are fair game here (and the first three data points of any candidate information a prospective employer gets from a recruiter). Don't be shocked if it happens. There are technically anti-discrimination laws, but they are hard to enforce.


I find that the longer an expat has been here, the more likely they will ask those questions in a job interview setting. I was guilty of asking my helper these questions before I hired her. And, for the record, she didn't ask me if she would be paid extra for ...

They already popped the age question, which is always tough because I am quite young for the postion they want me to fill. But they are still flying me out from the Bahamas.


My girlfriend is american as well as myself, the purposed salary sounded much better before. I amcurrently make a great living for a chef. But know there are few places that pay like the Bahamas.


As far as activities out side of work we are fairly young, 26 & 27, is there a decent nightlife for expats?


I really apprecaite all the feed back and help another question that came to mind is do most of the companies provide a relocation package or is it simply a ticket there and a ticket home?



A

it would depend on the company policy and procedure, the major companies, have strict guidelines on relocation, so if your's does not.. ask them ? if you don't ask you dont get !. Also, see if they would be willing to hire your girlfriend in your new job. Many companies offer, housing, and travel back, medical ect, also being from the USA you must still pay social security and file a tax return, which you can/may be off set with the tax you pay here. Ask as many questions of your prospective employer as you can, have things clarified before and in writting before you sign on.


HK is very social, and as a chef, you know you wil be working unsociable hours, and long ones, there is lots to do after hours.

good luck !